Cool fact 7: the ignition is driven by magnetos. They run about 50 Amps and the ignitors are consumed during the run and the engine is basically dieseling at the end. Fact 8: Nitro burns clear, the exhaust flame is hydrogen being dissociated in the combustion. The engines are near hydraulic lock due to the tremendous compression.
@@ETCG1 It takes finesse to make people enjoy sponsored content. You don't shill or make the content of it suffer; which means I'm more likely to consider the sponsor because it isn't in my face and down my throat. Seems like Penzoil gets you. I won't mention people I feel do it wrong, its not fair to them and they might be your friend because I'm pretty sure you've worked with the guy a time or two :p Just saying, more people could learn from your expertise; which comes down to being an honest and genuine person overall.
The REAL question is who thought it was a good idea to use nitromethane on strawberries??? Forget energy drinks, I'm going to eat some strawberries! Watch out world!
You can thank the Nazi's ;during the war there was an embargo on them to import nitrates to make explosives; they came up with the Haber-Bosch process to fixate atmospheric nitrogen; thus creating all sorts of nitrogen compounds after the war the process was used to make create fertilizer which fed the world and increased our numbers and all different kinds of nitrogenous compounds ;nitromethane was used as a soil fumigant;the Nazis were the first to use nitrous oxide to boost performance of their aircraft
@@copperlocks1 German engineers have always been a clever bunch regardless of who's running the political show. They found a way to solve a problem out of necessity foisted upon them by the Nazis.
If you haven't seen it yet, look up " top fuel funny car vs trophy truck." Brings everything into perspective of how fast top fuel really is. Absolutely awesome video.
Cool fact: the Spark Plugs are completely melted during the run. Burned up ,consumed, gone. Only the sleeve & some ceramic deep inside the sleeve is left.
Granted that funny cars are nearly as fast these days, but top fuel is SO cool. Many times more exciting for me than Indy cars, and I've been to the Indy 500 as well as the summer nationals for top fuel cars, one event you'll want ear plug for.
@@ETCG1 yep, also same as monster trucks, but geared differently too, but detuned a bit at about 5000 hp / and methanol , gives them the ability to launch vertically over stuff ;) yee haa
In 2017, Matt Hagan touched 340MPH I believe 4 times. Top Fuel "Rails" aka "Diggers" have barely crossed 325mph. Rails run quicker (lower) E.T.s while NFC run faster speeds. Speed counts for nothing when your opponent runs a lower E.T. which means he gets there first. If you run 200mph in 6.259 seconds, and I run 250mph in 6.300 seconds, you win. Here comes the weird part. If you cut an 0.150 light, your total time is 6.409 If I cut a 0.001 light, my total time is 6.3001 The photo finish will show you crossing the line first but, the numbers say that I beat you on a "hole-shot." I was quicker out of the hole. Personally, I hate how reaction time factors into a race like that. It should be, the light went green, we went, you got there before me so, fuck the numbers, you win. But, in the NHRA, a race is won and lost at the starting line. Due to the size of the tires, they also have about seven inches of room to roll forward and backwards at the starting line due to how the light beams track the position of the car at the line. This enables guys to manipulate their reaction and elapsed times as well as top speed. If you stage deep, the front edge of the tire is just barely breaking the light beam, and you will have 7 inches of travel before the rear edge of the tire leaves the light beam, effectively giving you a running start. But, when the light goes green, the reaction timer starts, and you have to roll those 7 inches. Conversely On race day Sunday, you want to stage shallow. The rear edge of your tire is just barely breaking that light beam. When the Christmas tree goes green, you travel 0 inches before leaving the staging beam. Your reaction time is closer to 0.00 but, you don't have that running start so, your top speed will be lower and your E.T. will be higher. I think they need to change that as well.
Greay vid Eric! I really enjoyed this one. Do you recommend using the type of oil the manufacturer recommends? P.S I'm glad you're making a few extra bucks doing sponsored stuff.
The label on the barrel says it's 70 weight oil. Most street cars take 5W30, or 0W20 The race oil is much thicker and will not fit into tighter tolerances inside your street engine. You'll starve the bottom end. Then, the heavier oil will have more pressure and blow out your valve stem seals and piston rings. Turbo, too, if you have one. Basically, running race oil would be a stupid ass idea that will cost you a new engine.
I had the privilege of seeing the final shuttle launch STS-135 Atlantis in July 2011. It was my first and only time to attend a shuttle launch, and I was lucky enough to be in the lottery to purchase tickets to KSC for that day, and it was amazing. Even from my location ~12 miles out I could still feel it when launching.
I get better mpg with Pennzoil than any other oil, yes I have used M1, C, V, RP and others. 11,000 hp, my old Sentra wouldn't be able to turn that engine over. Great info, keep up the good work!
I would go to the Summer Nationals in Englishtown, NJ every year. I was there when Scott Kalitta went through the sand and the net at 315 mph. He and the car ended up in a tree almost into the road. Scott’s run was very fast, and just at the finish line, the engine blew up, knocked the supercharger off and knocked Scott unconscious. In less than 4.5 seconds the noise level went from loud to complete silence. Eventually Connie Kalitta came back to his trailer with his head down, knowing Scott had died. Englishtown is now closed along with Atco. Atco is where we would go see Bill Jenkins, Sox & Martin, Dick Landry, The Hemi Under Glass Car, and many others. If you want a real live experience go to one of these races. At Maple Grove raceway you are closer to the track. Courtney Force’s engine blew right at the finish line where we were standing, and we thought we were standing a little close to the track. Pieces of her car went over our heads. The finish line is the most eventful and the most dangerous.
I’ve been to at least 10 NHRA events and the fun fact for me is that you get to see and talk to the drivers, try that at any other race and it would cost you an arm and both legs.
They don't use a transmission. It's a 5 or 6 disc centrifugal clutch. 6Gs* followed by -6Gs of deceleration when they hit the chutes. Saturdays at every event, Alan Reinhardt does Nitro School. The twin magnetos for the twin spark plugs make 44 amps. Set your stick welder to 88 amps and try to snuff out the arc with flammable liquid. That's what's going on inside every cylinder. Fun fact #6 Pound for pound, gasoline has more energy than Nitro. Why does Nitro make more power? Stoichiometric ratio is around 1.7:1 because Nitro (CH3NO2) is a mono propellent. It carries it's own oxygen. Gasoline also burns faster. In a gasoline engine, the combustion event starts and ends within 35-40 degrees of crank rotation. In a Nitro engine, the combustion event lasts longer than the full 180 degrees of crank rotation between TDC and BDC. Gasoline spark advance: 35-40 degrees. Nitro spark advance: 60 degrees. When the piston reaches BDC on the power stroke, there is still a large amount of positive cylinder pressure. Hey, Eric? What size is the fuel line on the Fairmont? About 3/8? You can make 700hp all day long and never starve for fuel with a 3/8 line. What's the size of a Nitro fuel line? Oh, just *two inches* What kinda boost are you putting in there, Eric? 8? 9PSI? Try 60PSI Now, if you went to fuel injection, how many injectors would you have, Eric? 4? Try 2 per cylinder direct, plus injectors in the manifold, and injectors in the blower. *One pint of fuel per cylinder per combustion event every 3/4 of a second. Or 1 gallon per engine per 3/4 of a second.* I've heard 24 and 32 injectors. What's the Fairmont's fuel pump pushing, Eric? 10 gallons per hour? Try a hundred gallons per minute at WOT. From zero, to running engine costs $100,000. So, depending on the size of the team, one pass down the strip can cost $4,000-$6,500 or more. And that's a perfect run without blowing up or crashing. According to Wikipedia, dynomometers do exist to handle a Nitro engine but, the engine won't run long enough. At half track, the spark plugs have completely erroded away and the engine is just dieseling along. I find out Start up Burn out Back up Staging The run 21-22 gallons. They have a 25 gallon fuel cell and they try to have 3-4 gallons after shut down to keep weight over the front tires. I've heard Nitro costs $20-$65 per gallon depending on the track. NHRA mandates 80-90% Nitro. They get 55 gallon drums of 99.99% pure Nitro, and "cut" it with methanol. At the Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas Oct 2018, I heard that Horsepower has been calculated to briefly cross 11,600. Depending on altitude, weather, tune, head gasket thickness, blower pulley selection, and cam selection. Intake valves measure 2.410" and I forgot the size of the exhaust. All of this INSANITY comes courtesy of a pushrod V8 without computer controls. All controls work on a timer system triggered by the pilot's foot at the launch. Clutch pressure, fuel, timing, etc. And the rear differential is 3.20:1. Del Worsham told me they'd run in the two point something to one range if they could. I know a lot more about them but, this is already long. I'm trying to get hired to work on a Nitro crew so, I learn as much as I can, wherever I can.
REALLY great video! The more the the more the merrier with this sport :-) 🤘🏻 ------‐---- Since there is no transmission and it is a little confusing, here is some additional info about the clutch and direct drive setup. (why not? 😊) So, no transmission on the NHRA 'big show' Top Fuel/Funny Car classes, they are direct drive with a rule of 3.2:1 final drive ratio (the tires squatting then expanding also change the gearing) --- although there are transmissions with the Nostalgia Top Fuel/Funny Car and both Top Alcohol classes...except A/Fuel- which, instead of running a screw blower with methanol, they are naturally aspirated on nitromethane..and also have a centrifugal/centripetal clutch with no cannon/clutch timers) So just a 5 or 6 disc centripetal/centrifugal clutch.. (as far as BASIC operation vs. a 'normal' clutch -- it is similar to a chainsaw. weed-eater, etc. when the engine revs, the clutch engages) ..and a 'reverser' lol Lots of levers (of different lengths) on the pressure plate which have holes in them to allow a nut/bolt/washer(s) to allow wait to be added to them. This way you can control the reaction and force of the levers (they use different materials for different weights -- also remember that the pressure plate is two pieces, so when a lever 'flings out', it pushes the bottom half of the pressure plate onto the clutch pack) there are also stops to limit the range of a given lever. There are also (usually) 6 'lockup levers' for when it..well..locks up and goes 1:1 lol There is also the 'cannon' --- this is also extremely important --- to control where the throwout bearing sits at a given time (moves at predetermined speeds in predetermined, timed stages, away from the pressure plate, thus more pressure on the clutch pack) There is a computer timing system for the activation of these clutch stages and control solenoids which allow hydraulic fluid (which goes through adjustable needle valve(s) for flow control of each stage, etc.) to operate the cannon... There are multiple needle valves (also set before each run) -- so you have an accumulator and all that good stuff just for the clutch.. I didn't want to get into too much detail or start digressing, LoL -- so hopefully this information helps somebody know a little bit more :-) Have a great New Year everyone!! 😊
Eric love the videos and what you do, always look forward to watching what you have to upload next. Any big plans on the Fairmont for next year? I know you plan on taking it back to the 1/4 to redeem yourself :) Jk keep killing it
I'm hoping to 'complete' the Power Tour next year. I also want to get back to the track so that I can hopefully put down a decent time. After that, it's traveling around to different car shows meeting people.
@@ETCG1 that's sweet it'll be a summer we'll spent ;) as for getting back to the track once she puts The power down I know you'll be running some good times. The setup has it in her
Worked on these cars for 10 years. All your facts are pretty much accurate except there is no transmission.. they are direct drive. The clutch pack is rebuilt .. also. We were in the opposite lane when Scott was killed. Sad day for sure.
Thank you for that insight. Yea, I misspoke on the transmission , or lack of it. Funny thing is, that is the one thing they wouldn't allow me to film or go into detail about. Thanks again.
I'm just getting back into drag racing again after many years away(some ahole stole my muscle car) I had no idea that they now run a shorter track.... Great video !
Fun fact #6: The engine of a Top Fuel dragster generates around 150 dB of sound at full throttle, the same as a jet taking off at 25m. It will also cause physical pain and/or permanent damage (ear drum rupture)
Standing in the Pit, 15 feet away at Infinion Raceway for Top Fuel, ear muffs on, eyes burning from nitro-meth, and then the Christmas tree goes down...green. The pressure waves from the battle between (2) 9,000hp beasts, the exhaust from those machines and the earth and gravity itself, seemed to separate my soul from my physical body, literally shook me to my core when they took off. I hardly had my bearings back when the races were over, 3 seconds later! Sounds like it's not enjoyable, but it's incredible 😃
It takes about 20 min to tear a motor down and 45 to put it pack together. We get 90 min in the pits and everything has to be worked out and tuned by the end of that 90 min. The motors are torn down every race because there are parts that wear out on every race and these parts HAVE to be replaced. This included parts from the clutch. Not all parts get replaced. Some parts can and are used into the next race and can even last 3 to 4 races. Its also an extremely demanding job to be a crew tech. If you cant function within certain time limits, you get let go. You have to be fast and accurate and on the ball.
Nitro wont burn but hit w a hammer and 1 broken wrist later thats why they add methanol to make it go boom and they take the engine apart because of the percentage of nitro i did it racing rc boats and the headache from the fumes god i love a hangover
Actually there are dynos capable of measuring the power of a Top Fuel engine, but to obtain an accurate reading it requires at least two minutes, adequate time to run through the rpm range. These engines cannot operate at full throttle for more than a few seconds before a major mechanical failure occurs. The amount of nitro and air being stuffed into these engines is staggering. Cool video btw.
Thank you for posting this so that I didn't have to. You said it much more accurately than I could have. This should be the top comment. Great video otherwise.
Great voice. Fun video. Please see David Timms' comment below for a slight correction on the reason why we can only estimate the horsepower of Top Fuel engines.
Their superchargers use 800-900 hp to spin them up to 45 lbs. of boost. I live 19 miles from Bandimere speedway in Colo. I can hear top fuelers from my house during events. Little more fun watching them in person :)
Fun fact #6... When you watch a complete tear down/rebuild, there are no impact wrenches used ! Impact wrenches "can" create a spark that "can" ignite residual fuel/vapors. The pit is the 1 place you don't want to have a fire...!!!
Close, but not completely accurate, TF and FC do not have a traditional transmission, instead they do have a purpose built one-speed transmission, it is a direct 1:1 drive with a reverser sitting behind a REALLY fancy clutch. Although the multiple floater plates (disks) and multiple friction plates used to literally melt and fuse in the early days of slipper clutches, however the materials, technology, controls and knowledge/expertise have exponentially evolved starting about 25-30 years ago to the point where the clutches rarely experience significant damage in the last 20 years. The floater plates do get toasty and damaged in a single pass requiring replacement after 1 pass, some are QC inspected, resurfaced and reused, most fail inspection, are discarded and replaced, but the driven friction plates usually survive and are often reused for several passes after being either inspected, refurbished and reused after passing or failing inspection, discarded and replaced. A completely refurbished clutch stack assembly that is mechanically configured and adjusted for the specific current dynamic track and atmospheric conditions is installed prior to every pass and the onboard clutch management is also programmed to progressively apply the engine power with minimal tire shudder and traction loss for maximum acceleration.
Another interesting fact, well to me it was, but the block for these, that come from Warren Johnson are billet and cost about $8000, a properly repaired block will sell for $5000 still so very valuable.
I noticed on the Pennzoil drum it said 70W. I didn’t expect the oil to be that thick because I thought the 10% methanol in the fuel keeps the engine cool.
Only thing maybe as loud as these Ive heard was when a lightning bolt hit outside my window, and that still may not have been as loud as these crazy cars.
No transmission, just a 5 or 6 disc clutch that is centrifugal/centripetal depending on your naming preference, lol.. 😊 and they use what they call a cannon to move the throwout bearing further back which allows the clutch fingers (which you can add/subtract weight from to Swing Out further and allow the pressure plate to eventually get the driveshaft RPM and engine RPM to 1:1 -- naturally the faster you can do this and make it hook the faster you should go and vice versa when the track conditions are poor. Those clutch discs after a run easily exceed 800 Degrees
Some other cool facts The tires expand from 36 inches tall sitting still to 44 inches at top speed The engines are started on 87 octane gas 87 octane gas has more energy per gallon than nitro… they just use a lot of it They go 0-70 in a car length
Definitely the most insane vehicles on wheels. However, I wish they didn't shorten the track. It changes the yardstick to which all cars have been measured since cars were a thing. I think they should have lowered the percentage of Nitro or made the blowers smaller in order to reign in the speed. They also could have kept adjusting these parameters every time they eclipsed the maximum desired speed. Even with the 1000ft track they are back to the 330mph trap speed they were trying to avoid. Don't think they can shorten it again.
At the time reducing the distance to 1000 feet was primarily to reduce top speed for safety and satisfy the event insurance underwriters's demands and secondarily responding to several years of team requests to reduce their annual operating costs. Currently NHRA TF/FC top speed is mathematically limited by NHRA rules, by specifying maximum engine RPM (currently 7900 RPM rev limiter/retarder), specific final drive ratio (3.20:1), maximum static rear tire diameter/circumference, specific min/max rear tire pressure specs and maximum dynamic rear tire growth via NHRA strict tire manufacturer (Goodyear) construction criteria.
Hi. Since you’re into full disclosure, you might be interested to know that the reason they take all of those components out of a dragster at the end of every race, is because many parts of the engine, transmission, and supercharger are either damaged or destroyed by the end of the race. These parts are made to generate horsepower at the expense of longevity. So everything has to be replaced before someone can race a second time.
That wasn’t some thing I thought about. Because if that’s the case, I wonder how the mechanics can possibly take apart a hot engine. It seems to me that there would be an extreme risk of second if not third-degree burns. A friend of mine actually managed to get his hands on some engine parts that were destroyed after a race, and he showed them to me. It really is amazing to see broken metal.
When you were talking about the sound how loud it is. You stated in Richter scale. Do you know how many decibels in loudness? Ive heard it is 170db to 180db. Ive also researched that 200db can kill you its so loud. I just think nitro cars are amazing nothing else like it in the world.
Those cars make your fairmont look like a super eco future car lol. Dragway cars are not my cup of tea, a lot of fuel/noise and it goes nowhere fast :-D But i would say that, i'm a boring git. I noticed a rough looking honda hatchback at my local store, it looked like it had gone through a war. On asking the owner he said it was solid as a rock and passes every m.o.t test. I can see why you love honda cars :-D
They do hold up, and I have a bunch of spare parts lying around that get me out of a jam when they break. If you think about it, my cars are paying me to drive them at this point.
I didn't post one. I posted a video to my social media Friday about it. As for the website, I have no idea what you're talking about. The website hasn't changed in over a year.
What ever happened with your Fairmont's feature in the car magazine you mentioned a while ago? Did you ever make the cover?? What is the date on that magazine publication so I can read up on Eric the Car Guy.
whenever someone asks me to to explain top fuel... I just tell them that it is so loud that it makes your vision go blurry because the sound waves vibrate the goo in your eyeballs
![เปิดใจ “ต้นหอม ศกุนตลา” หลังโดนพาดพิงธุรกิจที่เคยทำ และผลกระทบทำถูกปลดฟ้าผ่า! | แฉ 24 ต.ค.67 [2/3]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/vCi5OIqlxaE/mqdefault.jpg)
Cool fact 6- assuming the engine revs at 8000rpm during a 3.6 second run, that means it only turns 480 times!
i think they max out around 9500 or 10,000 rpm even then its still under 1000 turns in a race lol thats honestly just weird
Andrew Main May need a flak jacket if it goes above 1,000RPM.
Cool fact 7: the ignition is driven by magnetos. They run about 50 Amps and the ignitors are consumed during the run and the engine is basically dieseling at the end.
Fact 8: Nitro burns clear, the exhaust flame is hydrogen being dissociated in the combustion. The engines are near hydraulic lock due to the tremendous compression.
@@nocturnalmayhem0 As in 1 revolution per foot of the track?! Oh the torque must be just wickedly stupidly massive!
It's 7900 rpm limit for funny cars and dragsters. Very interesting math though funny to think that's the only time it's under a load.
OK, well, those were legitimately cool facts.
There is nothing that compares to seeing these cars in person. I was never a drag racing person growing up but I love going to watch these cars!
Something you may not hear a lot: I enjoy your sponsored content!
Thanks!
@@ETCG1 It takes finesse to make people enjoy sponsored content. You don't shill or make the content of it suffer; which means I'm more likely to consider the sponsor because it isn't in my face and down my throat. Seems like Penzoil gets you. I won't mention people I feel do it wrong, its not fair to them and they might be your friend because I'm pretty sure you've worked with the guy a time or two :p Just saying, more people could learn from your expertise; which comes down to being an honest and genuine person overall.
The REAL question is who thought it was a good idea to use nitromethane on strawberries??? Forget energy drinks, I'm going to eat some strawberries! Watch out world!
You can thank the Nazi's
;during the war there was an embargo on them to import nitrates to make explosives;
they came up with the Haber-Bosch process to fixate atmospheric nitrogen; thus creating all sorts of nitrogen compounds
after the war the process was used to make create fertilizer which fed the world and increased our numbers and all different kinds of nitrogenous compounds ;nitromethane was used as a soil fumigant;the Nazis were the first to use nitrous oxide to boost performance of their aircraft
@@copperlocks1 I won't be thanking them but it's good to know. Thanks for sharing!
@@copperlocks1 German engineers have always been a clever bunch regardless of who's running the political show. They found a way to solve a problem out of necessity foisted upon them by the Nazis.
copperlocks1 I did Nazi that coming.
@@archangel3237 LOLOLOL! !
One more fun fact. They don't use transmissions. Like at all. They have a series of clutches that are controlled by timers.
they have forward and reverse, but no transmission
If you haven't seen it yet, look up " top fuel funny car vs trophy truck." Brings everything into perspective of how fast top fuel really is. Absolutely awesome video.
Top fuel drag racing in the UK is cool to go and watch. Great facts! Cool video
Cool fact: the Spark Plugs are completely melted during the run. Burned up ,consumed, gone. Only the sleeve & some ceramic deep inside the sleeve is left.
been a while since i have liked one of your vids great info! thanks!
Granted that funny cars are nearly as fast these days, but top fuel is SO cool. Many times more exciting for me than Indy cars, and I've been to the Indy 500 as well as the summer nationals for top fuel cars, one event you'll want ear plug for.
Both are using the same engines, it's just the chassis that are different I believe.
@@ETCG1 yep, also same as monster trucks, but geared differently too, but detuned a bit at about 5000 hp / and methanol , gives them the ability to launch vertically over stuff ;) yee haa
@@Pgcmoore Tuned a bit more for reliability...
monster trucks dont have 5000 hp. They are under 2000.
In 2017, Matt Hagan touched 340MPH I believe 4 times.
Top Fuel "Rails" aka "Diggers" have barely crossed 325mph.
Rails run quicker (lower) E.T.s while NFC run faster speeds.
Speed counts for nothing when your opponent runs a lower E.T. which means he gets there first.
If you run 200mph in 6.259 seconds, and I run 250mph in 6.300 seconds, you win.
Here comes the weird part. If you cut an 0.150 light, your total time is 6.409
If I cut a 0.001 light, my total time is 6.3001
The photo finish will show you crossing the line first but, the numbers say that I beat you on a "hole-shot." I was quicker out of the hole.
Personally, I hate how reaction time factors into a race like that.
It should be, the light went green, we went, you got there before me so, fuck the numbers, you win. But, in the NHRA, a race is won and lost at the starting line.
Due to the size of the tires, they also have about seven inches of room to roll forward and backwards at the starting line due to how the light beams track the position of the car at the line.
This enables guys to manipulate their reaction and elapsed times as well as top speed.
If you stage deep, the front edge of the tire is just barely breaking the light beam, and you will have 7 inches of travel before the rear edge of the tire leaves the light beam, effectively giving you a running start. But, when the light goes green, the reaction timer starts, and you have to roll those 7 inches.
Conversely
On race day Sunday, you want to stage shallow. The rear edge of your tire is just barely breaking that light beam.
When the Christmas tree goes green, you travel 0 inches before leaving the staging beam. Your reaction time is closer to 0.00 but, you don't have that running start so, your top speed will be lower and your E.T. will be higher.
I think they need to change that as well.
Thanks for the video
I might have known one fact awesome content thank you and dsr for sharing..keep em coming when the opportunity too arises. Thank you
Greay vid Eric! I really enjoyed this one. Do you recommend using the type of oil the manufacturer recommends?
P.S I'm glad you're making a few extra bucks doing sponsored stuff.
The label on the barrel says it's 70 weight oil. Most street cars take 5W30, or 0W20
The race oil is much thicker and will not fit into tighter tolerances inside your street engine. You'll starve the bottom end.
Then, the heavier oil will have more pressure and blow out your valve stem seals and piston rings. Turbo, too, if you have one.
Basically, running race oil would be a stupid ass idea that will cost you a new engine.
Well, it's not my birthday, but that cake was delicious! Thanks!
I've been to Space Shuttle launches and top fuel drag races. The visceral feeling in your chest is pretty similar.
I had the privilege of seeing the final shuttle launch STS-135 Atlantis in July 2011. It was my first and only time to attend a shuttle launch, and I was lucky enough to be in the lottery to purchase tickets to KSC for that day, and it was amazing. Even from my location ~12 miles out I could still feel it when launching.
They are very similar.
I get better mpg with Pennzoil than any other oil, yes I have used M1, C, V, RP and others. 11,000 hp, my old Sentra wouldn't be able to turn that engine over. Great info, keep up the good work!
Holy Wow! Eric, you just blew my mind this is awesome ^^
interesting. thanks for sharing Eric.
My very 1st races I went too. GATOR nationals we had pit pass tickets & HOLY MOLY yes they do shake your body. Lol. It’s so dam intense
Interesting facts, thanks Eric. I need some of that secret weapon juice.
70 weight motor oil... Not good for honda!
I like this type of video from you.
I would go to the Summer Nationals in Englishtown, NJ every year. I was there when Scott Kalitta went through the sand and the net at 315 mph. He and the car ended up in a tree almost into the road. Scott’s run was very fast, and just at the finish line, the engine blew up, knocked the supercharger off and knocked Scott unconscious. In less than 4.5 seconds the noise level went from loud to complete silence. Eventually Connie Kalitta came back to his trailer with his head down, knowing Scott had died.
Englishtown is now closed along with Atco. Atco is where we would go see Bill Jenkins, Sox & Martin, Dick Landry, The Hemi Under Glass Car, and many others.
If you want a real live experience go to one of these races. At Maple Grove raceway you are closer to the track. Courtney Force’s engine blew right at the finish line where we were standing, and we thought we were standing a little close to the track. Pieces of her car went over our heads.
The finish line is the most eventful and the most dangerous.
@Peter Angles We would talk to him at Atco. He was Gumpy, but we listened!
That’s why Brittany runs TF, she wants the engine behind her.
I’ve been to at least 10 NHRA events and the fun fact for me is that you get to see and talk to the drivers, try that at any other race and it would cost you an arm and both legs.
WOW, stuff I had no clue about! THANKS, Eric!
Another informative vid Eric. Thank you.
Damn this mam permitted I would be watching this on my birthday three years later time traveler found lol
Cool video Eric!!! Top fuel is crazy!!!
They don't use a transmission. It's a 5 or 6 disc centrifugal clutch.
6Gs* followed by -6Gs of deceleration when they hit the chutes.
Saturdays at every event, Alan Reinhardt does Nitro School.
The twin magnetos for the twin spark plugs make 44 amps.
Set your stick welder to 88 amps and try to snuff out the arc with flammable liquid. That's what's going on inside every cylinder.
Fun fact #6
Pound for pound, gasoline has more energy than Nitro.
Why does Nitro make more power?
Stoichiometric ratio is around 1.7:1 because Nitro (CH3NO2) is a mono propellent. It carries it's own oxygen.
Gasoline also burns faster. In a gasoline engine, the combustion event starts and ends within 35-40 degrees of crank rotation. In a Nitro engine, the combustion event lasts longer than the full 180 degrees of crank rotation between TDC and BDC.
Gasoline spark advance: 35-40 degrees.
Nitro spark advance: 60 degrees.
When the piston reaches BDC on the power stroke, there is still a large amount of positive cylinder pressure.
Hey, Eric?
What size is the fuel line on the Fairmont? About 3/8? You can make 700hp all day long and never starve for fuel with a 3/8 line.
What's the size of a Nitro fuel line?
Oh, just *two inches*
What kinda boost are you putting in there, Eric? 8? 9PSI?
Try 60PSI
Now, if you went to fuel injection, how many injectors would you have, Eric? 4?
Try 2 per cylinder direct, plus injectors in the manifold, and injectors in the blower.
*One pint of fuel per cylinder per combustion event every 3/4 of a second. Or 1 gallon per engine per 3/4 of a second.*
I've heard 24 and 32 injectors.
What's the Fairmont's fuel pump pushing, Eric? 10 gallons per hour?
Try a hundred gallons per minute at WOT.
From zero, to running engine costs $100,000. So, depending on the size of the team, one pass down the strip can cost $4,000-$6,500 or more. And that's a perfect run without blowing up or crashing.
According to Wikipedia, dynomometers do exist to handle a Nitro engine but, the engine won't run long enough.
At half track, the spark plugs have completely erroded away and the engine is just dieseling along.
I find out
Start up
Burn out
Back up
Staging
The run
21-22 gallons. They have a 25 gallon fuel cell and they try to have 3-4 gallons after shut down to keep weight over the front tires.
I've heard Nitro costs $20-$65 per gallon depending on the track.
NHRA mandates 80-90% Nitro. They get 55 gallon drums of 99.99% pure Nitro, and "cut" it with methanol.
At the Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas Oct 2018, I heard that Horsepower has been calculated to briefly cross 11,600. Depending on altitude, weather, tune, head gasket thickness, blower pulley selection, and cam selection.
Intake valves measure 2.410" and I forgot the size of the exhaust.
All of this INSANITY comes courtesy of a pushrod V8 without computer controls. All controls work on a timer system triggered by the pilot's foot at the launch. Clutch pressure, fuel, timing, etc.
And the rear differential is 3.20:1. Del Worsham told me they'd run in the two point something to one range if they could.
I know a lot more about them but, this is already long.
I'm trying to get hired to work on a Nitro crew so, I learn as much as I can, wherever I can.
Awesome video!!
Awesome Video..
Great vid Eric. I've always wanted to stand beside a top fuel dragster when they blip the throttle after they've put the engine back together.
Wear ear protection.
Sadly, they no longer do throttle whacks during warm ups in the pits😞
REALLY great video! The more the the more the merrier with this sport :-) 🤘🏻
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Since there is no transmission and it is a little confusing, here is some additional info about the clutch and direct drive setup. (why not? 😊)
So, no transmission on the NHRA 'big show' Top Fuel/Funny Car classes, they are direct drive with a rule of 3.2:1 final drive ratio (the tires squatting then expanding also change the gearing) --- although there are transmissions with the Nostalgia Top Fuel/Funny Car and both Top Alcohol classes...except A/Fuel- which, instead of running a screw blower with methanol, they are naturally aspirated on nitromethane..and also have a centrifugal/centripetal clutch with no cannon/clutch timers)
So just a 5 or 6 disc centripetal/centrifugal clutch.. (as far as BASIC operation vs. a 'normal' clutch -- it is similar to a chainsaw. weed-eater, etc. when the engine revs, the clutch engages) ..and a 'reverser' lol
Lots of levers (of different lengths) on the pressure plate which have holes in them to allow a nut/bolt/washer(s) to allow wait to be added to them. This way you can control the reaction and force of the levers (they use different materials for different weights -- also remember that the pressure plate is two pieces, so when a lever 'flings out', it pushes the bottom half of the pressure plate onto the clutch pack) there are also stops to limit the range of a given lever. There are also (usually) 6 'lockup levers' for when it..well..locks up and goes 1:1 lol
There is also the 'cannon' --- this is also extremely important --- to control where the throwout bearing sits at a given time (moves at predetermined speeds in predetermined, timed stages, away from the pressure plate, thus more pressure on the clutch pack)
There is a computer timing system for the activation of these clutch stages and control solenoids which allow hydraulic fluid (which goes through adjustable needle valve(s) for flow control of each stage, etc.) to operate the cannon...
There are multiple needle valves (also set before each run) -- so you have an accumulator and all that good stuff just for the clutch..
I didn't want to get into too much detail or start digressing, LoL -- so hopefully this information helps somebody know a little bit more :-)
Have a great New Year everyone!! 😊
Thanks Eric.
Vic Edelbrock I think started using nitromethane. Talking about g forces, more g force occurs during braking when they hit the chutes.
Well no wonder I feel so energized after drinking a strawberry milkshake it's that Nitro shit
This was actually enjoyable!
I enjoyed the video but I didn’t think they used a transmission. I thought it was just a bunch of external clutch packs?
Eric love the videos and what you do, always look forward to watching what you have to upload next. Any big plans on the Fairmont for next year? I know you plan on taking it back to the 1/4 to redeem yourself :) Jk keep killing it
I'm hoping to 'complete' the Power Tour next year. I also want to get back to the track so that I can hopefully put down a decent time. After that, it's traveling around to different car shows meeting people.
@@ETCG1 that's sweet it'll be a summer we'll spent ;) as for getting back to the track once she puts The power down I know you'll be running some good times. The setup has it in her
Close enough to my Birthday! Thanks!!!!
Happy Birthday!
Worked on these cars for 10 years. All your facts are pretty much accurate except there is no transmission.. they are direct drive. The clutch pack is rebuilt .. also. We were in the opposite lane when Scott was killed. Sad day for sure.
Thank you for that insight. Yea, I misspoke on the transmission , or lack of it. Funny thing is, that is the one thing they wouldn't allow me to film or go into detail about. Thanks again.
During fact 1 , there is no transmission , just a highly sophisticated 7 disc clutch
most interesting video so far!
Great video! Sorry for the sarcasm below....
It’s awesome to tout the benefits of a product that nobody can buy.
Why would you want to buy it? Do you own a top fuel dragster? For your 1986 Corolla you can just buy Pennzoil 10W-40. It'll work a lot better.
I'm just getting back into drag racing again after many years away(some ahole stole my muscle car)
I had no idea that they now run a shorter track....
Great video !
Fun fact #6: The engine of a Top Fuel dragster generates around 150 dB of sound at full throttle, the same as a jet taking off at 25m. It will also cause physical pain and/or permanent damage (ear drum rupture)
Even with properly inserted ear plugs AND over the ear muffs, I can still feel my ear drums vibrating when the cars pass at half track
Standing in the Pit, 15 feet away at Infinion Raceway for Top Fuel, ear muffs on, eyes burning from nitro-meth, and then the Christmas tree goes down...green. The pressure waves from the battle between (2) 9,000hp beasts, the exhaust from those machines and the earth and gravity itself, seemed to separate my soul from my physical body, literally shook me to my core when they took off. I hardly had my bearings back when the races were over, 3 seconds later! Sounds like it's not enjoyable, but it's incredible 😃
You would never believe what a top fuel car does till you see one run in person .
My son said the other day yeah Dad these dragsters produce 10000 + horsepower I thought he was mistaken. Looks like I was. Mind blown!
I've been told the math works out to briefly push them over 11,600hp, depending on many factors
There is an awesome video of a top fuel dragster single cylinder fuel pump on youtube. Definitely worth checking out.
It takes about 20 min to tear a motor down and 45 to put it pack together. We get 90 min in the pits and everything has to be worked out and tuned by the end of that 90 min. The motors are torn down every race because there are parts that wear out on every race and these parts HAVE to be replaced. This included parts from the clutch. Not all parts get replaced. Some parts can and are used into the next race and can even last 3 to 4 races.
Its also an extremely demanding job to be a crew tech. If you cant function within certain time limits, you get let go. You have to be fast and accurate and on the ball.
Nitro wont burn but hit w a hammer and 1 broken wrist later thats why they add methanol to make it go boom and they take the engine apart because of the percentage of nitro i did it racing rc boats and the headache from the fumes god i love a hangover
Actually there are dynos capable of measuring the power of a Top Fuel engine, but to obtain an accurate reading it requires at least two minutes, adequate time to run through the rpm range. These engines cannot operate at full throttle for more than a few seconds before a major mechanical failure occurs. The amount of nitro and air being stuffed into these engines is staggering. Cool video btw.
Thank you for posting this so that I didn't have to. You said it much more accurately than I could have. This should be the top comment. Great video otherwise.
Great voice. Fun video. Please see David Timms' comment below for a slight correction on the reason why we can only estimate the horsepower of Top Fuel engines.
You would rip Oliver in half with one of those engines. ..... Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family Eric.
Their superchargers use 800-900 hp to spin them up to 45 lbs. of boost. I live 19 miles from Bandimere speedway in Colo. I can hear top fuelers from my house during events. Little more fun watching them in person :)
I think I heard Clay Millican once say that once the 6 sets of clutch plates hook at a couple hundred feet the force can be up to 6G's!
Fun fact… Top Fuel cars don’t have transmissions. They use a centrifugal clutch system and a direct drive.
The 4 wide race in Charlotte cars are so loud they can be registered in space noise wise
Yay! Today is my Birthday so thank you ETCG1 for the birthday wish!
Happy birthday!
@@ETCG1 Thank you sir! Hope your day went well!
Fun fact #6... When you watch a complete tear down/rebuild, there are no impact wrenches used ! Impact wrenches "can" create a spark that "can" ignite residual fuel/vapors. The pit is the 1 place you don't want to have a fire...!!!
Good stuff man!
Theres no transmission. Just a REALLY fancy clutch. By the end of a pass, some of the plates weld eachother together.
Close, but not completely accurate, TF and FC do not have a traditional transmission, instead they do have a purpose built one-speed transmission, it is a direct 1:1 drive with a reverser sitting behind a REALLY fancy clutch.
Although the multiple floater plates (disks) and multiple friction plates used to literally melt and fuse in the early days of slipper clutches, however the materials, technology, controls and knowledge/expertise have exponentially evolved starting about 25-30 years ago to the point where the clutches rarely experience significant damage in the last 20 years.
The floater plates do get toasty and damaged in a single pass requiring replacement after 1 pass, some are QC inspected, resurfaced and reused, most fail inspection, are discarded and replaced, but the driven friction plates usually survive and are often reused for several passes after being either inspected, refurbished and reused after passing or failing inspection, discarded and replaced.
A completely refurbished clutch stack assembly that is mechanically configured and adjusted for the specific current dynamic track and atmospheric conditions is installed prior to every pass and the onboard clutch management is also programmed to progressively apply the engine power with minimal tire shudder and traction loss for maximum acceleration.
@@patw52pb1 Wow thanks for the data dump! :)
Another interesting fact, well to me it was, but the block for these, that come from Warren Johnson are billet and cost about $8000, a properly repaired block will sell for $5000 still so very valuable.
I noticed on the Pennzoil drum it said 70W. I didn’t expect the oil to be that thick because I thought the 10% methanol in the fuel keeps the engine cool.
It is my birthday thanks
That was cool
What's crazy about the engines being around $60,000 is that each team goes through a significant amount of them per weekend.
a v-6 Formula 1 engine costs 10.5 million and Fia has instituted a cap that limits the total car cost to 175 million in development costs.
@@ronblack7870 Ye but F1 is gay
Only thing maybe as loud as these Ive heard was when a lightning bolt hit outside my window, and that still may not have been as loud as these crazy cars.
No transmission, just a 5 or 6 disc clutch that is centrifugal/centripetal depending on your naming preference, lol.. 😊 and they use what they call a cannon to move the throwout bearing further back which allows the clutch fingers (which you can add/subtract weight from to Swing Out further and allow the pressure plate to eventually get the driveshaft RPM and engine RPM to 1:1 -- naturally the faster you can do this and make it hook the faster you should go and vice versa when the track conditions are poor. Those clutch discs after a run easily exceed 800 Degrees
I was there when Scott Kalitta crashed. 300mph into the woods... crazy
Some other cool facts
The tires expand from 36 inches tall sitting still to 44 inches at top speed
The engines are started on 87 octane gas
87 octane gas has more energy per gallon than nitro… they just use a lot of it
They go 0-70 in a car length
Definitely the most insane vehicles on wheels. However, I wish they didn't shorten the track. It changes the yardstick to which all cars have been measured since cars were a thing. I think they should have lowered the percentage of Nitro or made the blowers smaller in order to reign in the speed. They also could have kept adjusting these parameters every time they eclipsed the maximum desired speed. Even with the 1000ft track they are back to the 330mph trap speed they were trying to avoid. Don't think they can shorten it again.
At the time reducing the distance to 1000 feet was primarily to reduce top speed for safety and satisfy the event insurance underwriters's demands and secondarily responding to several years of team requests to reduce their annual operating costs.
Currently NHRA TF/FC top speed is mathematically limited by NHRA rules, by specifying maximum engine RPM (currently 7900 RPM rev limiter/retarder), specific final drive ratio (3.20:1), maximum static rear tire diameter/circumference, specific min/max rear tire pressure specs and maximum dynamic rear tire growth via NHRA strict tire manufacturer (Goodyear) construction criteria.
The good old raceway park nj days. Sucks being a grownup now. Don’t have time for anything.
hemi baby!
Also, you have a really really great channel!!
By the time the rear wheels reach where the front wheels were at the start line, they're already going over 100mph.
Actually 161km/h . . .
I wanna know more about the transmission they don't have. It's direct drive with a reverser operated by a clutch.
Hi. Since you’re into full disclosure, you might be interested to know that the reason they take all of those components out of a dragster at the end of every race, is because many parts of the engine, transmission, and supercharger are either damaged or destroyed by the end of the race. These parts are made to generate horsepower at the expense of longevity. So everything has to be replaced before someone can race a second time.
they are also taken apart for cooling as there is no water or antifreeze in the block
That wasn’t some thing I thought about. Because if that’s the case, I wonder how the mechanics can possibly take apart a hot engine. It seems to me that there would be an extreme risk of second if not third-degree burns. A friend of mine actually managed to get his hands on some engine parts that were destroyed after a race, and he showed them to me. It really is amazing to see broken metal.
there is no transmission. these use a clutch only. it slips and progressively locks up near the end.there is a reversing lever however.
When you were talking about the sound how loud it is. You stated in Richter scale. Do you know how many decibels in loudness? Ive heard it is 170db to 180db. Ive also researched that 200db can kill you its so loud.
I just think nitro cars are amazing nothing else like it in the world.
Depends on the hz.
Those cars make your fairmont look like a super eco future car lol.
Dragway cars are not my cup of tea, a lot of fuel/noise and it goes nowhere fast :-D
But i would say that, i'm a boring git.
I noticed a rough looking honda hatchback at my local store, it looked like it had gone through a war.
On asking the owner he said it was solid as a rock and passes every m.o.t test.
I can see why you love honda cars :-D
They do hold up, and I have a bunch of spare parts lying around that get me out of a jam when they break. If you think about it, my cars are paying me to drive them at this point.
Nitromethane is used in Rc car engines like a Traxxas Nitro model.
He asked what kind of oil not what brand. Is it synthetic and what weight even similar to regular oil or exotic blend?
Interesting.
Thought I'd tuned into Photo Joseph for a split second 😉
cool vid!
What happened to the Friday video? The website is also looking scary. Whats up?
I didn't post one. I posted a video to my social media Friday about it. As for the website, I have no idea what you're talking about. The website hasn't changed in over a year.
Wow, 70 weight oil! My 67 Mustang ran 50 weight oil.
Great info video. No ETCG Pennzoil discount codes? :(
Nitromethane? Oh you mean what comes out after eating Taco Hell. :-P
Doing a bit of math, it looks like they take in right at 3/4 oz. of fuel every intake stroke. Wild...
Actually correctly expressed as 16'141L/100km
Does anybody know how do they TUNE it? I mean, how can you calculate anything especially at WOT while the engine lasts one pass?
11,000 hp is inconceivable!
What ever happened with your Fairmont's feature in the car magazine you mentioned a while ago? Did you ever make the cover?? What is the date on that magazine publication so I can read up on Eric the Car Guy.
It will be in the February issue of Hot Rod.
@@ETCG1 AWESOME!. I'll be watching out for it.
What is the peak pressure (PSI) in the cylinder on these monsters?!
5:00 never heard of something like that
Would it be bad for a regular vehicle if you can it at higher oil pressure then the 40 to 80 psi
Parasitic losses to drive the oil pump would be high along with greater pump drive wear would be negatives.
whenever someone asks me to to explain top fuel... I just tell them that it is so loud that it makes your vision go blurry because the sound waves vibrate the goo in your eyeballs
Top fuel doesn't use a transmission. They are direct drive.